Okay, What if you went to bed one night and the next morning you awoke to find you were able to do three things that you couldn’t the night before. That can be anything, new skills, new talents, give it your best shot.

As I am sure you can imagine the options are endless, skills that could make me rich, popular and successful to name but a few. Me, I don’t want any of those things, I’m perfectly happy being ordinary thank you very much.

So smarty pants, you quite rightly ask, what would your new skills be. Well if you hang around just a little longer I shall tell you.

Drumming

By this I don’t mean my fingers on my desk to express irritation, any Eejit can do that, I mean drumming of epic rock band proportions with actual drumsticks. I found out many years ago that the rapping of pencils on a bean tin while providing a nice little rhythm didn’t quite cut it.

I’ve always been fascinated by the rhythm and beat that someone with skill can extract from a drum kit. I was lucky enough in my younger years to have a friend in a band who excelled in this art. I was allowed to try a few times but the result was nothing short of horrendous, making the very foundations of the barn in which we were housed shake.

Sadly it quickly became apparent that while I liked rhythm, I didn’t fecking have any. It was then that my hopes of becoming a professional drummer were abandoned.

Sign Language

I would love to know sign language. I once had a friend whose parents were deaf and it was mesmerising watching him converse in what to me felt like a secret language. It amazes me that in schools they teach foreign languages yet do not offer something that could be more beneficial to every day life. I have a qualification in French but I’ve never been to France. I have however met people with hearing impairments who I wish I could have conversed with, but was unable to.

That said, there is nothing stopping me trying now, despite the fact that my wonky top box does not retain information like it once did. My friends daughter, the little girl who I adore can sign makaton and she is only four years old, I have been trying to learn little bits and pieces but I’m only up to a few words.

If you’re not sure how much better my learning of sign language as opposed to French would have been, then watch this video, yes it’s an advert, but just look at the reaction being greeted with sign language gets.

Sketching / Driving

Ok I realise that is actually two more skillz, but I’m balancing between what other people would want for me and what I would want for myself.

I can’t drive, it’s not something that I am proud of and I feel for others around me it is one of my biggest let downs. I just don’t have the confidence and even though I try to explain my feelings on the subject, no one ever really listens. I was never a great passenger after being involved in a couple of accidents, but what clinched the deal for me was later being involved in one where there was a fatality, albeit that it was not as a direct result of the collision. Perhaps someday I will pluck up the courage, but for now I get the shakes just thinking about it.

Of course, if I were to go to sleep one night and wake up the next morning just automatically knowing how to drive it would be amazing, but I would also have to receive an injection of confidence along with that injection of knowledge.

For me I’d love to be able to sketch and draw properly. I can doodle away to my hearts content, in fact I am quite adept at telephone doodling these days.

But I’d love to be able to draw more than silly characters and eyes, don’t ask, I appear to have a bit of a thing for drawing eyes and half faces with wild hair. On days when the train WiFi is being an arse I’d love to sit and sketch away while listening to music on the pod. For now though I’ll just have to keep doodling.

Cool skillz :-) I can’t drive either; I do feel obliged to, but can’t summon up either the enthusiasm or the confidence. My issue is that living in the countryside, I see eejits doing mad stuff every time I’m a passenger in a car – you’re protected from this in a bus cos you’re looking sideways. I’d rather learn to ride a horse. I haven’t forgotten my contribution, I’ve thought of two skillz….not including riding a horse…hmm *muses* again. By the way, I think your doodles are cool.

I am among the many Eejit’s capable of drumming my fingers on a desk, and your right…I don’t feel very talented. I think I would love to be a concert pianist, comic strip artist, and a doctor along the lines of say, “House” minus the tude of course. :D

I’d choose Art, Sports and Cooking if talking about skills. For talents i wish i could remember and use all the knowledge I’ve ever been taught with Photographic accuracy, not sure which 3 talents would combine to make that though.

I wish I could draw, although you seem to be really talented at your doodles! I’d also love to be able to dance without looking like I’m having some sort of issue, and to be able to fly… Save a fortune on transport!

LOL @ dancing like you have an issue, I can only imagine. I’m sure it’s not as bad as you think. Flying would be a good one right enough, but I get so easily distracted I’d worry I would be playing impromptu games of splat!

I couldn’t agree more on the language! In the states they shove Spanish down our throats because of all the illegal and legal immigration from Mexico, but teaching sign language in school is merely an after thought. While important to learn both, we are English speaking so I have never understood why teaching English to immigrants isn’t a priority instead of the other way around. Worse case teach everybody sing language and then us “natives” and “immigrants” can include all hearing impaired in our conversations!

You know what, that’s a fair point. Everyone would only ever need to know two languages, the one from their own country and sign language which could be universal to all and break down barriers in the process.
Sadly some know sign language only to well, I dunno about there, but here it’s called flipping the bird lol

I am starting to think we are parallel people. I would just about have the same list, except I’d pick guitar over drumming. As much as I might feel like banging a drum, I dislike the thought of making such noise (though a good drummer is almost essential to great rock and some jazz music). Guitar is the one instrument I can strap on my back and sit anywhere to play. And, yes, a some may say, I fantasize about romancing (female) audiences with my “awesome guitar skills.” Whatever. :)

As for your drawing skills, if you drew the above, you and I are not far apart in talent, either. I too would like to IMPROVE my skill. But, I would not put it on the wish list for NEW skills. You just need to water and fertilize what you already have inside.

I’d also consider something else for sign language’s slot. I do like the acting aspect of sign language. But, I don’t deal with deaf people, presently. And, it’s not like learning a foreign language so I can speak with a whole other nationality. So, it’s not “practical” to me. But, then again, neither is romancing audiences with a guitar. :P If it could be any skill, why not the skill to fly without wings?…or the need to drive, for that matter.

My brother in law is really good on the guitar and also the banjo, it certainly is fun to watch. I’m not sure about your idea of serenading the ladies though, were you planning to have a rose between your teeth, the ghetto blaster below the window pumping out love songs trick might work better lol

You’re the second person to mention flying to me, I dunno, knowing my luck I’d hit a brick wall lol

Well hello there, how have you been, it seems like ages :) You’re more than welcome to join in the fun.
I haven’t heard of Zentangle,but you have piqued my interest so I will now have to go investigate, thank you :)

A most interesting collection of skills you’d like to acquire……..I think I’d also be interested to hear the flip side of this…..if you were to wake up one morning MINUS three skills what would those be? :)

That my good friend is an interesting question that I have been giving thought to for approximately 30 minutes now. For starters I am not even sure I have three skills and of the few I have can I really afford to lose any?? lol

Sketching — great! Sign language — okay, maybe. Drumming — are you kidding me? I get enough of that from my kids.

Incidentally, I tend not to watch embedded videos on posts so often, but I’m glad I watched the one here. I know stunts of this kind are deliberate attempts to manipulate our emotions, but frankly I don’t care. The young man looked genuinely touched and so I’m happy for him.

I’m glad you watched. This and the welcome home T mobile flash mob ad always make me year tear up, just as you say they are manufactured to do lol
I hope you don’t mind but I followed you, a couple of posts and I like what I read, hope to get time to catch up later :)